Eye of the Phoenix
by Rainfox88
Summary: Post U3. An offer gone sour, a trap set for deception, an enemy that is supposed to be dead hell-bent on a dark justice. Their darkest fears, trials that drive them to the edge, truths and sacrifices in the name of love. All for the Philosopher's Stone.
1. Prologue

**The Eye of the Phoenix  
><strong>

**An Uncharted fanfiction by Rainfox88**

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Uncharted franchise, which includes the games, characters, media works, etc. Naughty Dog is entitled to everything, but I try everyday to buy Nathan from them…lol. I only own my OCs, ideas, and story for this fanfiction work. I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you! :)**

_"Immortality: A toy which people cry for, And on their knees apply for, Dispute, contend and lie for, And if allowed Would be right proud Eternally to die for."- Ambrose Bierce_

The pain was excruciating. Fire was engulfing the whole room in a matter of seconds. Nathan tried to move, his world a blur from foggy vision and drugged inebriation. He had no idea what he just did, what just happened to him, but he knew it was hopeless to save the others while still drugged. He just hoped the fire was a part of the hallucination. He was sweaty and could feel the ripples of heat. Trying to get to his feet, Nate saw something explode farther away. Out of the flames, something emerged. A large creature spreading wings of fire and screeching like a hawk emerged. It rose from the waves of fire, forming into a bird of flames and embers. It flew up towards the ceiling, bursting through it like a magical force.

If there hadn't been blood coughing up from his lungs, Nate could have chuckled at the sight. Of all the things to see, he had to witness the mythological Phoenix rise from his prison and fly away. It couldn't be real. It was just his imagination getting the best of him. After all, the Phoenix was nothing but a symbol in all of this. Immortality. If Nate had only known that this simple job was going to blow up into something as crazy and dangerous as this. But, as always, he was never in control of the situation.

Nathan used all the leftover energy in his wounded body to force himself to his feet, all at once remembering the Magician and his cruel intentions. They were all in danger, and as always, it was his fault. Elena, Sully, Chloe, and Charlie were going to die because of him.

Nate staggered forth, unsure to test the reality of the flames or not. It was getting harder to breathe, but he wasn't certain if it was from the smoke or that his lungs were filling with blood. He blindly patted his body, searching for any weapons, but found none. All that was on his person was the card he had forgotten, planted on him from his enemy.

The words from the Magician rang through his head once more. _"Your luck will one day run out, Drake. And when it does, I'll be there to watch your final, miserable moments."_

"Bast…ard," Nate growled, which ended up making him cough up more blood.

He felt drunk trying to move. The hole in the roof caused by the Phoenix was making the smoke rise up out of wherever it is he was. He no longer cared about the Enochian language or the secret of the Philosopher's Stone. Angels, alchemy, demons, sorcery, magic, immortality; it was all too much. For once, Nate truly felt defeated.

In the distance he could hear church bells. The deep dong echoed continuously. Nathan's ears were ringing, but he continued to look for a door to get out. He heard ravens cawing as they flew over the hole of the roof, and knew it was still dark outside.

Nate shook his head, trying to focus and shake the effects of the drug. _I'm not going to die so easily. I have to save Elena! Save Sully! I have to save them!_

He found the door but it wouldn't budge. Nate threw his whole body weight into it, trying to barge the door down to escape. The flames were closing in on him, if they were even real. He cursed as he rammed and rammed, feeling the pain rack his body more, but he wasn't going to stop.

Finally, the door broke through, and Nathan fell with it onto the ground outside. The cool night breeze hit his face, and he could see faint lights and a courtyard of some kind. He couldn't stop here. He had to find the others, had to stop the cult.

As he went to scramble to his feet, a new wave of adrenaline coming over him, Nathan felt a boot strike him in the back, knocking him back down. He knew who it was by his laugh, but he suddenly lacked the energy to even speak.

"I want you to watch them die. Then we will be even."

Before Nate could cough up nasty words, blood trickling down his lip, he felt something sharp stab into his back. The blade went right in between two ribs, grinding against the bone and releasing more pain.

Nathan yelled out in pain, but was unable to move. He felt himself losing consciousness, and then was quickly swept into darkness, only to wake up gasping for breath and fully aware and recovered from his hallucination. The fire was gone. The building he had been in wasn't real. The Phoenix had burst into a rain of fire. He wasn't as wounded as he first thought.

"Damn it!"

It was time to be on the move again. He had let his enemy gain control over him once more. There was no more room for mistakes. Nate couldn't screw up anymore, or everyone was going to die.


	2. Chapter 1: The Offer

**Chapter 1: The Offer**

The house was almost clean. Elena Fisher Drake just busied herself with tidying up the rest. After all, company was coming over, so it had to look like she didn't live with a slob part of the time. She didn't worry about dinner. She was assured by her dear husband that they were just going to go out to dinner with everyone anyway. If there was one good thing about Panama City, Florida at least there were plenty of restaurants.

The house they owned was on the coast, approximately fifteen acres of land, with the beach down the hill to the beach. They had a dock and a boat out in the water, and the house was a two story brick home with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, with a dining room, living room, kitchen, and den. Much of their home was decorated with historical portraits and artifacts. Most notably was the portrait of Sir Francis Drake in the main den.

Nathan's share of the profits they gained from the Spanish gold they gathered from the uncharted island after sinking the El Dorado and killing Navarro were gone, but it had mostly been put towards buying this house, the boat, and his Jeep Wrangler. He still had some in savings, but not much. Most of his savings had gone to getting him out of jail two years ago. And even then Sully had used a lot of his own profits to get him out. Elena had no idea what Sully had spent his profits on. He still had the same house, which was a nice house and property like theirs that enabled him to have his sea plane, even the one before that she and Nathan crashed. She was sure most of it had gone to debt.

Elena, it seemed, was still the only one who had a considerable amount of her profits leftover. On top of that, she made good money as a world wide reporter.

Elena was putting up dishes now, looking through the kitchen window above the sink and watching Nate outside under the hood of his Jeep. She shook her head, noticing how dirty and grimy he was from working on the vehicle. Of course he was not going to bother getting clean before friends came over to visit.

It was better than having him out in the middle of nowhere almost getting killed. Elena sighed at the thought. It had been four months since Nathan and Sully's dicey escape from Ubar, Iram of the Pillars. They had their wedding a month after, having had it broken off for too long. Their friends and family all came, even Charlie, who was still in a cast from his broken leg came with Chloe.

Nate had spent the rest of these months recovering as well. She could tell this last escapade put a lot more toll on him. Not physically. Mentally. Broken bones, cuts, and bruises heal, but Elena suspected that there was something about this last adventure that had scarred him deeper. He lost his ring, and even though he was happy enough to admit that he had a better ring now on his left hand, Elena could still tell that he had lost a part of himself when Sir Francis Drake's ring sank with Katherine Marlowe and the city.

Marlowe and Talbot were dead. And hopefully that meant the fall of the secret organization that they led. Now four months later, Elena could tell that Nate was getting bored. He was itching for adventure again and was already taking small jobs.

It was one of the main reasons they had broke off their engagement. Elena felt she couldn't live worrying all the time while he was out seeking long lost cities and treasure or saving the world. They all had their close calls, eventually their luck was going to run out. What about starting a family? They couldn't do it if he was off adventuring all the time.

She loved Nate for who he was. And would always. As much as she wanted him to settle down, she knew it would take time. He had been raised by Sully after all.

"Hey babe, could you get me a bottled water?"

Elena broke from her thoughts, turning to him with a plate in her hands as he entered through the kitchen door.

"Shoes off! I just mopped!"

Nate jumped, quickly bending over to toss his shoes out the door. "Sheesh! Sorry! When did you become a cleaning Nazi all of a sudden?"

Elena laughed. "Funny. We got guests coming and guess what? You still look like a slob."

"It's just Sully, Chloe, and Charlie," Nate replied, giving his impish smile. "They see me like this all the time. Look, I have oil on my shirt and pants from working on the rigs, and there's a spot of mustard from my hotdog earlier."

Elena reached into the cupboard to place the plate with the others. As she was withdrawing her hand, she heard a pop, and a sharp sting hit her butt. She glared over her shoulders at him while he grinned like a mischievous boy, a kitchen towel in his hands.

"Mr. Drake."

"Yes, Mrs. Drake?"

"You got twenty minutes before Sully is landing his plane by our dock."

Nathan heaved a sigh. "Fine! I'll go take a shower and change!"

"Wait," Elena stated before Nate could slide across the tiled kitchen floor in his socks. She walked over to him and they kissed. Then Nate slid across the kitchen floor in his socks, making her roll her eyes and laugh.

As he took a shower upstairs, Elena finished tidying up. When she heard the plane, she smiled. Walking outside to the front of the house, she looked down the hill to the coast. Sully's beat up blue-green sea plane had just landed into the water, spraying up waves of white water as it skimmed across the surface. The plane slid across the surface of the water, engine rumbling, and rotors still turning but slowing down. She saw Chloe and Charlie jump out and locked the plane to the dock on the other side of the boat. Sully was the last to jump out. No surprise, he was wearing a bowling shirt and had a cigar in his mouth.

Sully wore khaki pants with a light blue bowling shirt. Charlie wore jeans and a casual shirt. Chloe wore a yellow tank top with black capris. It seemed Elena and Chloe were thinking alike. Elena had on a dark blue tank top with white capris.

"Hey Sunshine," Chloe greeted with a smile, her raven black hair glossy and up in a loose ponytail.

She had stuck with that nickname for Elena but she didn't mind. She and Chloe got along good now, even though they still had their major differences. Elena hugged her and Charlie.

"Hey Charlie. I see you are no longer in a cast. How's the leg?" Elena asked.

"Good, good. Full recovery, darlin'." As if to emphasize his point, Charlie kicked his once broken leg back and forth, grinning.

Sully had finally caught up after making sure the plane was set. He chuckled with that cigar in his mouth and Elena melted.

"There's my girl!"

"Hey Sully!"

Elena threw her arms around Sully, the two hugging hard. "You guys have a good trip?"

"Not bad at all," Sully answered, still grinning under his silver mustache.

"Except that Charlie threw up," Chloe added, slightly glaring at Cutter.

"Hey, bloody hell I said I was sorry. The plane was rocking and I got motion sickness. C'mon, darlin' it's not even your plane."

Sully rolled his eyes. "Alrighty you two, knock it off." He turned back to Elena, taking a puff on his cigar. "So where's that oaf of a boy of mine?"

"I heard that," Nathan stated, walking up in jeans and a maroon shirt.

Sully chuckled, the two men embracing into a father-son hug before Nate pulled away to shake Charlie's hand and hug Chloe.

"So Charlie, I must admit, I was getting used to the cast." Nate grinned.

"Haha, mate, very funny."

"Well, let's get you guys settled and then we can go eat. Sound good?" Elena proposed.

"Sounds great to me. I'm starving," Chloe answered bluntly, smiling.

"I'll second that," Sully added.

* * *

><p>There was a lot of talking and laughter at their table at the fancy Italian restaurant. The group caught up with each other, even though Sully was always around, it had been months since they had seen Chloe or Cutter. The last time besides Elena and Nathan's wedding was in Syria after Charlie broke his leg from his jump to get away from the fire that Marlowe and Talbot tried to kill him with. Chloe had opted out from there to take him home and care for him. It was the first they really discussed the events in Ubar since it happened. At the wedding, it still had been too soon and no one wanted to talk about it.<p>

"So how's the marriage going?" Chloe asked, moving onto the next subject and not at all worried about being nosy.

"It's great of course," Nate answered, glancing at Elena who sat next to him, and smiling.

"We're just trying to get into the groove, I suppose," Elena said jokingly.

"The groove huh?" Charlie chuckled.

"Anytime soon for a bun in the oven?" Sully asked bluntly.

Nate choked on his beer, spitting it onto his plate of food and coughing. Elena's eyes grew wide and she started slapping his back to help him.

"Wow, Nate. Didn't know that was gonna be a touchy subject," Sully chuckled.

"It's not a touchy subject. It just came out of nowhere. You got me by surprise, old man," Nathan answered, glaring at his father-figure.

"I don't know if it's a good idea to have little Nates running around," Chloe joked, causing both her and Charlie to choke up in laughter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nate asked, glaring at them.

"You get into enough trouble as it is, mate. Imagine if you had little tykes following right behind ya," Charlie explained.

Nathan threw a spoon at Charlie, the utensil striking the British man's forehead before dropping into his lap. "Oh yeah, real mature, mate. I had an offer for you, but now I doubt I'll clue you in anymore, pal."

The word offer got Nate's attention. Elena's face fell, as if she knew where this was going. Sully elbowed Charlie, but their British friend only chuckled. "Aw come off it, mate. I was just joking."

"What offer?"

"The other reason we are here, besides to visit you two of course," Chloe added.

"Oh no," Elena sighed, putting her fingers to her nose and shaking her head.

"It sounds promising, Nate. I like it," Sully stated.

"You like anything that will get you paid," Elena mumbled.

"Back in London I met up with a professor who wanted to hire some fortune hunters for a little trip. Luckily, I know him pretty well. Professor Lansin, he taught History and Sociology at the university I went to get my Bachelor's degree years ago."

"I'm sorry to interrupt but you really don't look like a man that would go to college and be well educated in anything let alone history," Sully stated.

Charlie glared at the older man, and then shook his head, slightly smiling. "Anyways…He works for this rich man named Kelley."

"Kelley?" Nate asked.

"Yes, Kelley."

"Isn't Kelley a girl's name?"

"Last name, mate. Focus."

"Oh."

"And there are men named Kelley by the way," Chloe quickly added.

Charlie glared at her. "Anyways, if I can just bloody finish folks! He wants to locate the Book of Saint Dunstan. He dropped a thousand pounds on us already and we haven't even started looking. And Lansin says that Kelley will still pay the rest even if we don't discover the book where it is supposedly hidden."

"Oh c'mon, there is no Book of Saint Dunstan," Nate snorted.

"What makes you say that?" Chloe inquired.

"Because Dunstan was a saint and the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was accused of being involved with witchcraft and black magic. All to disgrace him in the court. That story about his cunning defeat against the Devil is a load of crap. And all the swelling tumors that came up over his body after he turned down a bishop's request to become a monk wasn't a sign that he should, it was just from him being thrown in the cesspool after being disgraced. There was never any book of witchcraft or alchemy," Nathan explained.

"Just like that? You're gonna turn it down? I've never seen you so skeptical about something before, mate."

"Yeah, for a man that lived in the 900s AD, the chance of a book being found in readable condition nowadays is rare in itself, let alone a book that was only mentioned once in history that was also later contradicted by John Dee."

Elena seemed to be relieved. It looked as though Nathan was turning this one down. Sully perked up at John Dee's name.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. John Dee? How is he in on this?"

Nate sighed. "The book was supposedly taken from Glastonbury Abbey by Edward Kelley. Dunstan was claimed as an Abbot there, but he was mainly associated with Canterbury, which is where he is buried."

"Who is Edward Kelley again?" Sully asked, scratching his chin.

"He was John Dee's partner in his search to commune with angels and discover the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone. He was a scryer, you know, crystal ball gazer and could supposedly call upon angels and spirits. But he was also a renowned alchemist, and one of the few men in history to even get close to understanding the Philosopher's stone."

"Oh yeah, he helped John Dee create the Enochian language," Elena added.

"S'cuse me?" Chloe grunted.

"The Language of Angels," Elena and Nate stated in unison.

"That's the language that was on the Cipher disk when we were searching for Ubar, remember?" Nate added.

"Oh, now I remember."

"So what's the purpose of the book?" Sully asked. "You would figure that someone would prefer John Dee's private journals for an angelic language, not a book on alchemy."

"And why am I not surprised that this secret man who is paying you to find this book has named himself "Kelley"? After Edward Kelley? Are you sure you can trust this Lansin guy, Charlie? Are you sure you can trust this "Kelley"?"

"Look mate, he just wants to find the book. Probably to see if there is a link between it and the Philosopher's Stone. But we aren't looking for the Philosopher's Stone or trying to create one, we are just looking for a book. A book that he will pay big bucks for if we find it or not."

"It sounds harmless to me," Sully stated. "And Cutter just said that Kelley has already paid them a sum."

"I don't know," Nate stated. "You think that it's too weird that this is linking John Dee into all of this…after our last round? I mean we did stumble upon one of Dee's alchemist labs at the chateau in France before we found Godfrey's tomb."

Sully snorted. "Where we almost got consumed by thousands of man-eating spiders, and almost died in a fire. Kid, it's England. Dee is a big figure in history over there, hell throughout the world, get used to it. It's like saying that the Kennedys were never apart of our history."

Nathan sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm just still a little shook up from last time. Getting too easily suspicious of things."

"Which isn't like you at all," Chloe pointed out frankly.

Nathan glared at her mildly for a moment before looking back to Charlie. "So, did he give you any locations to search, or are we supposed to figure this wild goose chase out on our own?"

"Yes, two locations. Glastonbury Abby and Prague Castle. It's unlikely that John Dee had the book ever, even when the two of them were together. So it's likely that Kelley returned it to the Abby or King Rudolf II took control of it after Kelley's death."

Nate seemed to consider Charlie's words, thinking hard. Elena chewed on her lip beside him, watching his face intently as he thought. Chloe, Cutter, and Sully were also watching closely, awaiting Nathan's next thoughts.

"I can see this already. This is turning into some kind of expedition to find the Philosopher's Stone," Nate chuckled, shaking his head as though it was hard to believe at first. "Charlie, did you ever meet face to face with this Kelley guy?"

"No, I've only spoke with Lansin. I'm telling you, we can trust him."

"We might be able to trust Lansin, but can we trust Kelley? I mean, it's easy to see that this is just an alias. We don't know who we are really dealing with. I just want you to be sure on your judgment. You didn't get any weird feelings about this at all?"

"Not at all, mate. Not at all."

Elena sighed out loud. "Because you already got a thousand pounds. I think that would hurt your judgment."

"I'm with Charlie. Whether we find the book or not in these two locations we still get paid the full amount just for going. I say we do it. The likely output here is that we aren't going to find it, and then we can get our payment and let it go. Well, unless this Kelley guy wants to pay us more for further investigations. But I say we burn that bridge when we get there," Chloe put in.

"See Nate? She makes a good point," Sully pursued.

Nathan looked from Chloe and Charlie, to Sully, to Elena. He could see the worry there in her eyes. It was too soon. Nathan couldn't really judge his own instincts. He hadn't met Lansin or Kelley himself. He was trying to make himself be more careful since their last battle with Marlowe and Talbot and their organization. If he agreed, it would be because he trusted Charlie's judgment. Nate trusted his friend's judgment, but there was something about this that bothered him.

Finally, Nate heaved a sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll do it. Sully and I will go to Prague Castle. You two go to Glastonbury Abby."

There was an excited "yes" from Cutter, and Chloe seemed happy as well. Sully laughed, rubbing his palms. Nathan turned to Elena. "Would you like to join us, baby?"

Elena shook her head. "No. You know I keep myself in reserve anymore. Only in emergencies will I decide to go along with these escapades any longer. I've had my fill."

"If Charlie is right, then this will be easy. I'll be home before you know it. No danger, no extraordinary search, no lost city, no nothing. Easy peasy!"

"Yeah…_if_ Charlie is right. There have been a lot of ifs in our lives lately, Nate. I just hope you are sure about this so soon after what went down in Arabia."

Nate leaned in and kissed her deeply, understanding her worry and moved that she always cared so much. He put their foreheads together, looking deep into her eyes. "I'll be fine. I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there is chapter one! I'm going to try this story out, still a little unsure about it. Got a lot of ideas in my head, but it will be hard to make into a good story I think! I'm sure the Philosopher's Stone has been done before, but ehh, I just wanted to do it. There wasn't much else in legend that sounded good to me to make an Uncharted fic with the ideas I had, and I didn't want to make something up at first. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this and I hope you give it a try! :) Gonna be plenty of action, suspense, adventure, humor, and romance! Rating might go up, but for now this is rated T! And by now you know that this is a NatexElena story as well, but I also plan on sneaking in some ChloexCharlie!**


	3. Chapter 2: Dread and Discovery

**Chapter 2: Dread and Discovery**

Cutter's apartment hadn't changed much since Nathan's last visit when they had met here to figure out Marlowe's and Talbot's movements in London and where they were going to go next. Obviously, they had split up to go to France and Syria, but now it looked as though they were settling down to discuss their newest mission yet.

Elena certainly seemed to be enjoying the scenery, looking out onto the streets of London as the sun started to set. Nate, Elena, and Sully were dog-tired, but had settled their things down and got to work.

"Remind me again how you were able to coax Elena into coming?" Sully asked while drinking coffee and smoking on a cigar.

Nate grinned. "I promised her a romantic dinner cruise on the Thames River."

"And you said you would take me to the Somerset House, Little Venice, and Westminster Abby. Oh and the royal botanic gardens too."

"I did?"

"Might as well see what we can while we're here. If your little mission doesn't turn into a dangerous escapade that is," Elena sighed.

"Well, don't worry. It will be a piece of cake! Besides, you can chill around here while we are off looking for the book."

"And what exactly am I supposed to do here?" Elena asked, folding her arms and staring at him.

"You can clean my apartment," Cutter stated nonchalantly, playing on his phone.

"Are you texting?" Chloe asked on the other side of the table.

"No. Angry Birds."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't get it."

Elena raised an eyebrow as she watched her husband finish downing his second Red Bull. He went to the fridge, got out another and cracked it open. "Nate, that's your third Red Bull."

"I'm still on American time! I'm tired!" Nate whined, walking back over to the table and sitting down.

Elena shook her head slightly, sharing a look with Chloe. They just didn't get the men sometimes. Sully snuffed out his cigar to save for later. He folded his arms on the table, looking between them all. Elena finally sat down next to Nate.

"Can we get this show on the road?" Sully grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, sure mate," Charlie stated, sitting his phone down.

"Chloe, are those your clothes over there in that basket?" Nate asked.

Chloe gave him a questioning look. "Yeah, so. Why?"

"Have you been living with Charlie this entire time?" Nate laughed.

"Well, you know I move around a lot," Chloe answered smoothly.

"Is there something we should know?"

Chloe glared at him. "Are you insinuating that-?"

"Yes, we're madly in love, can we please get on with this?" Charlie interrupted, pointing to the maps and notes they had sprawled on the table.

Chloe rounded on him, slamming her fist into his arm. Charlie yelped, giving her a look while rubbing the sore spot.

"Blimey, that hurt!"

"Okay, let's start with Glastonbury Abbey," Elena stated.

"Yes, it looks as though you two are going to have it made. Quick drive to Somerset. Should be easy to sneak into at night since it is only used as a visitor attraction anymore. The hard part is trying to decide where the book could have been located," Sully added, looking over the map.

"Well, according to Edward Kelley's notes. When searching for the book, he and his friend John Blokley came upon a spirit creature that led them to where the book was resting. Looks like you get to deal with ghosts," Nate joked.

Charlie didn't sound too enthused by that. "Oh, that's a load of bollocks, Nate. No such thing as ghosts or spirits. Don't try and scare me!"

"Who knows, maybe you'll find Avalon while you're searching for the book," Nate added.

"Focus, Nate," Chloe sighed.

"Err, sorry." Nate cleared his throat. "Since there isn't much left of the ruins. I would start with the Lady Chapel. According to Kelley's private journal, there is a hidden passageway that leads below the chapel to a hidden tunnel that had once been used by monks to perform witchcraft and certain ceremonies. He had been shown the way by a spiritual creature at Northwick Hill."

"According to these sketches he made, it looks as though it could be somewhere in the Lady Chapel, but it's hard to tell since most of the abbey is destroyed now. For all we know, the secret passage could be lost forever," Elena added. She then looked up to Charlie. "You got these from Lansin?"

"Yeah, he dropped them off earlier."

"It's amazing that he had all of this. I bet there would be hundreds of people who would want their hands on Edward Kelley's personal journals," Nate said, admiring all of it.

"Well, Lansin got it from Kelley. Apparently, this rich bastard has a mighty collection of lost history," Charlie answered.

"Does it matter?" Chloe snorted, leaning back in her chair. "Didn't Lansin say that Kelley made the overall payout 100,000 pounds?"

Sully choked upon hearing that, his jaw dropping and eyes shining. "Did I just hear right?"

"Damn. Now I'm kinda curious what he'll pay if he wants us to continue searching after these two places comes up empty," Nate said, shocked.

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right about this. That's a lot of money. Are you so sure you can trust this guy?" Elena inquired, tone laced with worry.

"Don't be such a wet blanket, Sunshine. It'll be fine."

Nate rubbed on Elena's back reassuringly, before glancing over to Charlie. "I guess just keep those main ideas in your head. And keep an eye out for any spiritual creature. Whatever that could mean. Vampires, fairies, unicorns. Who knows."

Charlie rolled his eyes, but chuckled. "Right, mate. So let's move on to Prague Castle. Gonna be much harder than ours. Lots of traffic, and there are guards at times. Head of State and the President occupies a good portion of it and it is the largest medieval castle in the world. There are courtyards, a monastery, museums, towers, and palaces throughout the castle. Where the hell are you going to start? How are you even going to get in?"

"Do enlighten me, kid. Because it sounds impossible without getting caught. I understand why Kelley is paying big bucks now," Sully grumbled.

"I was wondering myself until I read Kelley's journal during his stays at the castle with King Rudolf II. According to Kelley, after the fire that hit the castle in 1541, Rudolf II added on to it. The Spanish Hall is the most popular of the few that were completed during his reign. But there's more. See, Rudolf II was obsessed with witchcraft and alchemy. He thrived on Kelley's magic and knowledge of alchemy and the Philosopher's Stone. So much, that Rudolf II had started calling Kelley "The Magician". He added a whole underground court for his work, and gave it a secret entrance as well as exit in case of discovery or hazards such as another fire. It says right here in Kelley's journal that there are a few secret entrances to the underground court. There's one in the main courtyard, and one in the Spanish Hall. However, there is one that leads way out from the castle into the St. Wenceslas vineyard. According to his journal, the entrance is just above the Old Castle Stairs. He even sketched out the key to the entrance." Nate showed them the journal, the sketch of a phoenix rising up with its wings against its body pointing downward with its tail, the talons spread out, and the beak opening in a scream. There was a strange design in the phoenix's eye, one that looked familiar to him.

"Isn't that the squared circle symbol of the Philosopher's Stone?" Cutter asked, turning his head to try and look at the eye upside down.

Nate looked at the journal again, only this time turning the symbol upside down. Sure enough, it was the squared circle. Why it was drawn upside down inside the phoenix's eyes was lost to them, but they now knew it was their key to finding the entrance to the tunnel.

"Good eye, Charlie," Nate chuckled.

"Still doesn't solve how we get inside," Sully grumbled.

"Simple. We go in as visitors. Wait until dark and then find this phoenix that is supposedly carved into the old stairs. The Villa Richter is right there with a restaurant. We just wait for the right moment and figure out the puzzle," Nate explained, smiling and so sure of himself.

"Sounds easy enough," Sully answered, though he seemed unsure.

"Are we set then?" Chloe asked.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, we'll head out in the morning. Elena, are you sure you are going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. It will be you guys I'm gonna worry about. If anything goes wrong, just call me."

"You'll come to our rescue?" Nate joked.

"Or get us out of jail," Sully snorted.

"Not funny."

Nate and Sully exchanged looks, smiling. With that, they all left from the table to get ready for bed. They had a long day tomorrow ahead of them. Nate and Elena took the guest bedroom and Sully took the couch. They all noticed however, that Chloe followed Charlie into his room.

The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey came off as mystical, maybe even haunting at night. The property was huge, with public roads of Somerset surrounding all sides; it felt they were in the center of a forgotten land. The grass was vivid green. The ruins produced shadows in the faint lights of the walkways and even their flashlights.

There were only a few buildings that were fully together, like the Abbey's Kitchen, and the Lady Chapel. Most of the park was left with walkways and lone standing walls and stones.

Charlie and Chloe headed for the Lady Chapel, knowing it was the best place to look for the underground tunnel where Kelley had supposedly found the Book of Saint Dunstan.

"See any ghosts yet?" Chloe chuckled, leading the way with her flashlight.

Charlie grimaced. "Not funny, darlin'."

"What's up your bum? We're almost there."

"I don't know. I'm getting a weird feeling about this."

"A weird feeling?" Chloe echoed, smiling and shaking her head. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark, Charlie."

"No, no, it ain't that. I just feel…like we're being watched."

"Oh jeez. You're paranoid, mate. It's probably your imagination. You let Nate get to you again."

"Yeah, you're right," Charlie replied, giving a half-hearted chuckle.

They came upon the Lady Chapel, not far from the parking lot. The ancient building gave off such a powerful sense of time and tenacity, of elegance and solitude. The ornate masonry just added to the effect of it all, bearing the wears and scars of time, but also telling a story all of its own in each stone.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Chloe stated as they entered through the front. She shone the flashlight around, the chapel in pitch darkness even with no roof up above.

Charlie didn't answer, just nodded his head. They knew they had to get down to the lower area, where the altar was. They shone their flashlights ahead as they found their way down there, bypassing the disabled bridge and going downstairs. The hall was long and narrow with hallways lined on each side to other parts of the chapel. They walked all the way up to the altar, shining their flashlights around to look for clues.

In the distance, Charlie heard a rock drop and hit stone below, a small scraping sound echoing. He jumped, looking in the direction it had come from despite the darkness all around. The stars above did nothing to light their way. Nor did the moon. Chloe had reacted to the sound as well, though not near as sharply.

"Charlie, chill out. It was nothing," she sighed.

Charlie couldn't help the dread that was filling his head. He found himself breathing harder, his hands shaking. His heart rate had definitely gone up, and now he felt twitchy. It was a feeling he had felt before, only once in his life, and could not understand why he was having this same kind of attack here.

"Hey Charlie, shine your torch over here."

He barely registered Chloe's voice. Timidly, he moved over to the other side of the altar, shining his flashlight for her. Chloe smiled upon receiving more light, because she found something etched on the side of the altar. The sign of Saint Dunstan. She started messing with it with her fingers, and finally she was able to push the emblem back into the stone. Suddenly, the altar was sliding over, revealing an entrance down below.

Chloe brushed off her palms, smiling proudly. "If that isn't it, then I don't know what is."

When she didn't get a response from her partner, she looked up at him. She frowned, noticing how pale Cutter was. "Charlie? The hell? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. Let's go."

Chloe was unsure at first, and then reluctantly started the descent down the ladder to the tunnel below. Charlie tapped his cheeks, blinking hard and trying to focus. He couldn't understand why he was feeling like this. There had to be something here with them causing this much dread within him.

He slowly followed Chloe down below, landing on the cool dirt floor at the bottom of the ladder. The tunnel started out skinny, but soon widened as they started to follow it. They were quick to realize that this wasn't just an underground tunnel, it was a catacomb. There were recesses in the walls containing skeletons from ages ago. There were bones scattered across the floor, urns lined along the walls, and also tools and accessories strewed about.

"I'm officially creeped out," Chloe chided, watching as a large rat darted across the way from her.

She kept an eye on Charlie behind her. He was still struggling with whatever was bugging him, but soon the tunnel widened out into a large room full of books, alchemy equipment, and signs and items of necromancy. They spread out to look through the secret room. Charlie's flashlight was twitching along with his hand, and he felt ice cold down here.

He was trying to calm himself down, the dread circulating his body and he was at the brink of having a full panic attack.

"Charlie! Over here! You've got to see this!"

He moved over to Chloe's side of the room. She pointed to a table that had alchemy ingredients and tools on it. There was a book, but not the right one. What she was pointing at, however, was the thick red powder that was piled in a bowl. Charlie, with uneasy hands, took the sandy grains in his fingertips and grinded them together. Red powder, one of the mysterious ingredients linked to the Philosopher's Stone. Kelley had supposedly found some of this down here when he retrieved the book.

"This is something we should definitely tell Nate about," Chloe stated, turning and heading away from the table and following her flashlight's path.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound was echoing above them. It sounded like something heavy grinding along a path. It took seconds for Chloe and Cutter to exchange looks and take off sprinting back the way they came. By the time they reached the ladder, it was too late. The altar had slid shut over the opening.

"Fuck!" Charlie shouted, his panic peaking. "That couldn't have been on a damn timer! We were bloody followed! I knew it!"

"Oh come on, Charlie, calm down. We don't know that for sure," Chloe answered calmly, though underneath the tone, her nerves were starting to panic. Her next sentence revealed her worry, as she stuttered the words. "L-let's just go back to the room. May-maybe we can find another way out."

They made their way back to the necromancer's room, both thoroughly disturbed and confused. Chloe forgot about their objective, and turned towards trying to find a way out. Charlie felt his heart aching, he was panicking so much. He fell to his knees, using his hands to cover his temples.

"Damn it! What's wrong with me?"

Chloe ran over to his side. "Charlie? Charlie, what's wrong?"

She heard something come to her right, behind Charlie's back. She shone the flashlight in that direction. The path of light suddenly flashed onto a figure cloaked in black, a large ram's skull with necromancy symbols painting on the bone covering the head. Chloe screamed, knowing they had no weapons, but she didn't have time to react before something hit her from behind and she crumbled to the floor. Charlie leaped up, his fists flying at whatever it was that struck Chloe down.

A blow went to his head as well, and he crashed to the floor next to Chloe. The world was spinning, despite the darkness all around, and the beams of light from the flashlights seemed to intensify. Before he lost consciousness, Cutter saw a man walk up to him in a black suit.

* * *

><p>Nathan and Sully had entered Prague Castle as tourists with no problems. The evening went by with them taking advantage of the downtime until dark. They looked over many of the castle's locations. There were many people here from all over the world as tourists. The Czech guards in their light grey-blue uniforms were posted along many areas of the grand castle grounds. They passed along many people speaking different languages, from Czech and French, to Spanish and English.<p>

When the sun started to set, Nathan and Sully went to the Villa Richter, where they sat down to dine at the Piano Terra and eat dinner. No one had been suspicious of them all day, and the father and son duo reframed from talking much about their objective in case of listening ears. After they were finished with their meal, it was time to revert to the shadows and covert movements. They made their way to the Old Castle Stairs at the base of the vineyard and way down from the old metro station. Much of the walkways were added much later than Rudolf's reign. They were looking for the oldest part of the stairs, which most of which were in the wall off the side of the edge of the old vineyard.

There wasn't much traffic anymore, and there were no guards around. Sully and Nate decided to go over the high enclosure wall to the oldest rocky promontory below the Old Castle Stairs. There wasn't much light down in this area, hiding the two men as long as they stayed quiet, but then enough light from the moon and stars gave Nate and Sully enough light to look for the phoenix.

They felt along the stone wall, smooth in areas from being repaired. It was then that Nate found the etching of the bird, but barely. Only the tail, parts of the talons, and some of the head was showing from remodeling. Nate started digging at the bird with his fingers. Sully walked over, looking around to make sure they weren't being watched.

"How the hell is that thing going to get us a secret entrance to the underground court? They probably ruined it trying to cover it up in the remodeling," Sully asked.

"I'm…trying to figure that out," Nate replied, feeling all along the head of the phoenix.

Finally, a part of paint over the bird crumbled off a bit from being brittle, and Nate started digging at it. He tore the paint away until the head was revealed with its strange eye. Nate studied it for a moment, and then it was so obvious. The indention around the eye clearly showed him the eye could be turned like a dial.

"Sully, give me a hand," Nate said, grabbing one side of the circle.

Sully grabbed the opposite side of the Philosopher's Stone symbol in the eye of the phoenix.

"On three, try clockwise."

"Three? Okay. Wait, is clockwise towards you or me? I can't tell by this awkward angle."

"Towards me. Now, one, two, three."

Both men put their strength into it. Despite the eye only being the size of a soccer ball, it was hard to turn. It scraped along the stone, catching easily, but eventually they were able to turn the symbol right side up. As soon as it was, Nate pushed it in, and it clicked. Suddenly, a slab of stone grazed down, revealing the entrance. The two men looked around and listened, hoping the sound of the entrance opening hadn't attracted anyone.

Soon, the two men were heading into the chamber. Sully was relieved to see old torches on the wall. He grabbed one and lit it up with his Zippo lighter. They followed the dark tunnel, made out of smooth stone, and looking untouched for ages, until it opened up into a large court.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Nate exclaimed, laughing a little from his excitement.

Like a little kid he ran ahead. Sully chuckled behind him but kept the same pace. The underground chamber was large, but built with such mastery. It had shelves of books on alchemy, necromancy, and spiritual things. There were books on the supernatural, on history, and on ancient medicine. Any of the books would be worth a fortune, but there were also tables holding alchemy ingredients and tools. Rare gems, gold, silver, copper, and all kinds of metal were strewed about. One table had a human skull on it, a couple of rubies around it with tarot cards and a crystal ball. Another had various necromancy items, and a bowl of red powder.

As Nate was looking around, he saw Sully pocketing gold pieces and gems. He shook his head, chuckling. "Seriously?"

"Why not?" Sully shrugged, grinning under his mustache.

Nate was intrigued with the place, checking it all out from corner to corner. "I bet Chloe and Cutter didn't get to find anything near as awesome."

"This would be hard to top."

"Can you believe it? This is where Kelley and King Rudolf II got the closest to _anyone _in history to the Philosopher's Stone. Kelley performed _magic _here! Not only was he one of the most brilliant alchemists like John Dee, he was a true magician! He could really perform witchcraft, and talk to angels, and use it all to his advantage!"

"So do you think the book is here?" Sully questioned, looking around with the torch. The light from the torch covered most of the underground chamber in a decent, orange light.

"I don't know. I doubt it, but we can look to be sure. After that, we can get the hell out of here and collect 100,000 pounds from Kelley and go from there."

Sully nodded, but as Nate turned his back on him, the older man was attacked from behind. An arm came around his throat, and he barely managed a shout to his adopted son before his mouth was covered. He was being choked, and Sully dropped the torch to fight back.

Nate spun, seeing two other figures in dark clothing coming for him. With the torch on the floor, the light was weakened on the floor, darkening the roof and anywhere above Nate's head. He grabbed one, slamming his head into the stone table, before running to the next one.

"Hold on Sully!"

Sully was able to break out of his attacker's grasps, elbowing the man in the gut and spinning around to fight him head on. Everything was happening so fast, Nate didn't have time to try and figure out who these men were. He was fighting one suited man when he saw another come up behind Sully while he was fighting.

"Sully! Watch out!"

It was too late, the man grabbed Sully, enabling the other attacker to come forth and start pounding at Sully. Nate became more desperate trying to get to his adoptive father. He took quite a few punches before he was able to take two more men out and run over to Sully. He jumped the guy holding Sully, breaking his neck and moving on to the other one. They brawled shortly before Nate was able to knock him out.

He ran over to Sully, who was on his knees catching his breath. "Sully? You alright? Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Who are these bastards?"

"Let's not worry about that right now," Nate replied, grabbing Sully and pulling him to his feet. He started pulling him back to the tunnel way. "We need to get out of here!"

"This was a damn set up! No one knew we were here!" Sully cursed, coughing.

"Let's hope that isn't true and that Chloe and Charlie are alright," Nate answered, catching his breath.

The two men headed back the way they came as quickly as they could. The torch was going out, but it managed to get them to the entrance before the outside draft killed the torch. Sully tossed it to the side, and the two men went through the hole back outside.

As soon as they were out of the tunnel, both men were knocked out cold from more men in black suits that were waiting for them to come out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there is Chapter 2! This chapter took a lot of work and research, but I had a blast writing it. Very excited about this story, and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! It looks as though both groups were ambushed. Obviously a set up right? So who are these guys? Will they be okay? Will Elena find out about this? All of these questions plus more will be revealed in the next chapter! Thanks peeps for reading and reviewing! Have an awesome week! :)**


	4. Chapter 3: Dead Man Walking

**Chapter 3: Dead Man Walking**

There were memories that replayed in his mind like a dream, some that were long buried and forgotten. Like watching as his mother purposely took all those pills, a weak smile on her pale face as if trying to reassure the young boy. And then hours later, he couldn't wake her up. His father had come home, stressed from work as usual. Nathan could still remember the look on his father's face as the young boy told him that mom wouldn't wake up. The memory replayed like a movie scene. His father shook his mother, screaming her name and checking for a pulse. He broke down emotionally, and there were harsh words and things in the house being thrown.

It wasn't even a week later that five year old Nate had been dumped off at the St. Francis Boys Home. There were no final words exchanged between father and son. Nathan could only look up into his father's face. A face that had become blurred from too many years of submersing memories. He remembered the torment he felt. The confusion and how scared he was. There were no words of nourishment or goodbyes. His father just turned and walked away, never to be seen again. After all these years, Nate never thought if his real father was even still alive. He wouldn't have been surprised if his father ended his own life as well.

But it hadn't mattered to him growing up in the orphanage. He was looked after at the boys' home growing up. Never adopted, but at least he had a home. He came to revere Sir Francis Drake and his legend. He would remember staring at the knight's portrait in the moonlight before he would drift to sleep. He taught himself everything he could learn about history. The nuns taught him Latin, and helped him in his quest for knowledge. Until the time came where he knew where to locate Sir Francis's most treasured item, his ring. He wanted to take on that legacy, because he had already for years been calling his last name as Drake…to the point that he had forgotten what his birth surname had been. He ran away from the orphanage, and had spent months on the streets until he was able to stowaway on a ship to Cartagena. It was there he spent another month on the streets trying to figure out how he was going take back those items that belonged to his adopted ancestor. All the while, he had become a skilled thief and survivor at only fourteen years old. He picked up Spanish easily, having learned a lot of it back at the orphanage.

Nathan thought he was a smooth one until he ran into Victor Sullivan. It was then he knew he still had a lot to learn. The events that happened in Cartagena between Sully, Katherine Marlowe and her men, and Nate proved that. Marlowe had the cipher disk, but Nate had the ring. The stalemate would last for nearly twenty years, but it gave Nate another chance at life. It gave Sully another chance at life.

Nathan had been unsure about sticking with Sully, but it soon became apparent that the two needed each other. The father and son bond formed actually quite quickly and well for a boy who had never had a loving father before, and for a man who knew nothing about kids and never wanted one. They became partners and did jobs together, even going on quests to search for long lost treasure. It even came to the point that Sully took Nate back to his old orphanage and legally adopted him. His adopted father, however, never found out the truth of Nathan's past, and to this day didn't know. His name had been legally changed to Drake, thanks to the nuns who had loved him. Marlowe's words to him in Yemen revealed to him that one day Nate was going to have to come forth, and tell everyone the truth.

Marlowe had dug deep that day, deeper into his dark past than anyone had ever got. He could still remember her words, dripping with cool confidence as she tried to manipulate him with fake truths and empty promises.

"_When he scooped you off the streets of Columbia twenty years ago, did he save you from that life? Or did he just doom you to this one?"_

Katherine Marlowe definitely had dark plans to use the brass container in Iram for the sheer purpose of their secret society. To control and exploit their enemies through fear and manipulation. But moments before she died in the quick sand in the collapsing city, it was then that Nate noticed that she was human underneath it all. Those final moments had brought out flooding emotions. The age in her face brought forth facets of extreme and opposing emotions. And in her eyes behind the fear as she asked to be saved, he could see the soul that had been wounded and betrayed that had caused her to be so hell-bent on completing this goal for all these years.

Obviously, had it been him, Marlowe and Talbot wouldn't have thought twice to save him, and Sully wasn't shy on telling him this or how stupid he was to try and save her after it was all said and done. But Nate couldn't explain himself. He wasn't trying to get his ring back. He didn't have anything to prove to her or Talbot. It simply felt like it was the right thing to do to try and save her.

Even though he tried to save her and failed, Nathan still had to face Talbot's wrath. No one understood why Marlowe had been so important to him, but after she went under, Nate could literally see Talbot snap. There was no use trying to convince him that Nate tried his best to save her. Even with the city going under. It became apparent very quickly that Talbot was going to kill Nate even if that meant that he had to die as well. And in the end, it was what surprised Nathan the most, that Talbot didn't just accept that Marlowe was dead and escape himself. That he purposely sacrificed himself for revenge on Nate, to avenge Marlowe.

Had Sully of not been there, Nate knew that Talbot would have succeeded. But the most important factor that came out of the whole quest was that they all finally got closure. After nearly twenty years, Nathan was able to know the truth about Sir Francis Drake's deception, why he lied to the Queen and rewrote history. He felt naked without Drake's ring around his neck, but in a way, Nate felt that it was best. It was a way that Sir Francis Drake could finally be put to rest. And to Nathan, it was the right thing to honor and accept.

* * *

><p>Nathan heard someone calling his name. He couldn't recognize the voice at first, because of his slumber and aching head. He groaned, trying to move, and then realized someone was shaking him. The voice got clearer and clearer, until it was a distinct British accent that he knew quite well.<p>

"Charlie shut up, I'm trying to sleep."

"Are you mental? Get your ass up, mate! We've been napped!"

Nathan snorted. "I know I'm trying to take a nap."

"No! We've been kidnapped! We were both knocked out! We have to get out of here!"

"I need my beauty sleep to go to Prague tomorrow."

"You've already been to Prague! It was all a setup, mate! Sully and Chloe are missing! Get your ass up!"

He felt a kick to his lower back. Nathan yelped, and it was then that everything came back to him. He remembered exactly what happened in Prague before getting knocked out. Lurching up into a sitting position, Nate was hit with not only a head rush, but aching pain in his skull and back. He glanced up to Charlie, who was standing, and found that his vision had cleared pretty well. Charlie held out his hand and Nate took it. His friend pulled him to his feet, and Nate then took a moment to look around. They were in a cell in some kind of dungeon looking place. There were other cells but they were empty. There was no sign of Chloe or Sully.

"Have you seen anyone since you've been up?" Nate asked.

Charlie shook his head. "No. All quiet."

"What happened to you guys?"

Charlie scratched his eyebrow, next to the distinct scar he had there. "Well, I remember getting this really dreaded, panic feeling as we entered the Lady Chapel. When we got into the catacomb below, it only worsened. The entrance was sealed above and then all of a sudden we were jumped by something. I was literally having a panic attack, but couldn't understand why. It prevented me from being able to really analyze anything, but I remember seeing this crazy ram skull in a black cloak. And there was a man in a black suit just before I fell unconscious."

"We were ambushed by guys in suits too. I don't remember a creepy ram skull though."

"There was something about that man in the black suit…I just can't put my finger on it, mate. It was too dark, and that panic attack I was having didn't help."

Nate shrugged. "It doesn't matter. What does matter is that we need to figure a way out of here, and find Chloe and Sully."

Charlie dipped his head. "Agreed."

Nathan walked over to the cell door, finding it locked. He shook the gate hard, but it wouldn't give very well.

"Shh! You want anyone to bloody hear ya?" Charlie hissed.

"Somebody with keys, actually," Nate sighed.

He looked all around the rest of the cell. Solid rock walls and no windows. They weren't going to squeeze their way through the bars. It looked as though they were stuck until someone came.

"Why would they split us up from the group we came with?" Nate asked.

"What are you trying to say? You'd rather be in a cell with Sully?"

"No, wise-ass, it's just weird."

"I get it. I'd rather be with Bright Eyes anyway."

Nathan sighed, going back over to the gate. He looked around. There was a stone staircase in the back that led up somewhere. Other than that, the room was pretty bland.

"So, you think this was a setup by Kelley?"

Cutter was quiet at first. "I don't know, mate. To tell you the truth…I think it's Marlowe's men."

Nate spun around to face his friend. "Marlowe's men? But she's dead."

"Mate, it's a secret society occult thing. I'm sure they can appoint someone else as leader and come after us for revenge."

"Let's hope you aren't right. Though, it just can't be coincidence that more jackasses in suits are trying to kill us."

They heard movement behind them and turned to look. Three men were coming down into the dungeon. Two were armed men in black suits. The man in lead was an older man in his late fifties or early sixties with gray, slicked back hair and glasses. He was short and lean, and had a friendly smile and twinkling green eyes. He had a matching short cropped beard and mustache. He overall looked cleaned and sophisticated, and even wore nice clothes, gray slacks and a white long sleeved shirt with a black vest and blue tie.

Just as Nate was wondering who the hell this guy was, Cutter answered his question.

"Professor Lansin? What are you doing here?"

Lansin smiled, though behind its friendly exterior, the smile revealed a worried, almost fearful soul. "Coming to check on you two of course. I'm glad to see you two are finally awake and not injured."

"Where are Chloe and Sully?" Nate demanded, cutting to the chase.

"They are fine, don't worry."

"You were behind these ambushes?" Charlie asked, grabbing onto the bars of the cell in disbelief.

Lansin frowned. "No, I was not. But I would be lying if I said I didn't know it was going to happen."

"So Kelley did this?" Nate growled.

Lansin dipped his head. "It was Mr. Kelley's intention all along. Simply a test he knew all four of you wouldn't hesitate to accept."

"Why?"

"I do not know of his true motives, Mr. Drake."

"You work for him, don't you?"

Lansin thinned his lips. "I was merely…manipulated into working for him. I'm sorry."

"Then I want to talk to Kelley."

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I-"

"I want to talk to Kelley now!" Nate snapped.

Lansin nodded, turning and heading back up the stairs with the two suited men. Nathan whirled on Charlie, angry, worried, and agitated.

"This is all your fault! I thought you said we could trust him?"

Charlie didn't know what to say at first. "I-I don't know. I'm sorry, mate. I thought I could, Lansin's always been a good man."

Nate leaned on the bars, sulking. He glanced over to Charlie, and realized how upset he made his friend. He sighed, anger passing and he pushed himself from the bars.

"Sorry Charlie…this isn't your fault. We didn't know this was going to happen. I don't know what got over me."

Charlie gave a weak smile. "It's alright, mate."

The three men were back in the dungeon again. One suited man was unlocking the cell and opening the door. They had their weapons aimed, but motioned for Charlie and Nate to leave the cell.

"Kelley has agreed to meet with you. I suggest you two don't do anything regrettable, because he won't hesitate to have you two or your friends killed," Lansin warned. He turned to lead the way. "This way."

Charlie and Nate exchanged glances, and then followed behind Lansin with the guards bringing up the rear. Once upstairs, the building they were in became much more distinct. They had to go up many floors until they were on ground level, and they could see windows that led out into the streets of London. Both men thought it was strange that they were right back in London, despite Lansin being there.

In fact, the building was turning into an elaborate museum and historical library. Nate could tell it was late morning outside, and it looked as though it recently stopped raining. They passed many other men in black suits in the large building, and Lansin took them to the second floor into a large study room.

"Kelley will be with you in a moment. Please behave. And I'm very sorry again, especially to you Charlie. If only you could understand why I had to do this," Lansin said, his tone genuine.

"No hard feelings," Charlie replied.

Lansin nodded, turning and leaving the room. The same men with guns stayed with them, but two more had joined on the other side of the room. The large study room was elegant and neat. There was a unique fireplace with expensive lounge chairs and a table next to it. There were shelves of books and artifacts. The walls depicted rare portraits of history, and strange artifacts decorated the room all over. The large desk in the far corner by the large windows had papers, a computer, and even more artifacts.

"These are Marlowe's men. I know it," Charlie stated, glaring at them.

"So do you think that Kelley is the new leader?"

"I don't know, mate. There's just something about this that is all off. Something's wrong, and I don't like it."

Nate snorted. "Of course something is wrong. We're being held captive."

Charlie ignored Nathan's sarcasm and started to really think. There was something about that panic attack he had in the catacomb underneath the Lady Chapel. There was something about that man in the black suit he saw. Something about Edward Kelley that he was missing until now. Something that was so important, that it had been irrelevant at first. Then it hit him, and he paled, turning to Nate.

"Oh no, no, no, no."

"What?" Nathan asked.

"What was Edward Kelley's birth name?"

Nathan was baffled at first, not seeing how it was important. He had to think on it, before it dawned on him. "Oh, uh Edward Talbot. Why?"

The look on Charlie's face made him catch on.

Nate snorted in laughter. "Oh come on, Charlie. You don't really think…? Look, I was there. He's dead. Let it go."

"But mate, I saw-"

"Drop it."

Just then the door to the study opened. Nate was still in the process of casting aside Charlie's absurd idea and extremely wrong realization before he noticed the man that had entered the study, and the color drained from Nate's face.

"Please tell me I'm seeing things," Charlie mumbled.

This had to be a crazy nightmare. Nate was stunned at first before he was able to even make words. "No…you're dead."

"It's been awhile, hasn't it gentlemen? Cutter, I see you've recovered from your broken leg."

Talbot smirked as he walked over with calm steps, shoes barely echoing on the hard floor. He wore a black suit, the same kind that they remembered him in before, red tie and all. Everything about him looked the same, except for the fact that he was supposed to be dead. Nathan couldn't get his head around it. If the gunshot to the chest that Nathan gave to him to prevent him from killing Sully didn't do it, then the fall had to have. This was impossible, yet Talbot was clearly alive right in front of them.

"I'm going to be sick," Charlie groaned, leaning over.

"You're dead. This isn't possible," Nate growled.

Talbot merely cocked his head slightly. "If it isn't possible, then how am I standing here in front of you?"

"You tell me."

"There's nothing to explain."

"How did you survive Iram?" Nathan asked, stepping forward, but was quickly aware of the guns on him.

"I survived just like you and Mr. Sullivan did. I escaped the city before it completely collapsed."

Nate shook his head. "That gunshot should have killed you. If not, the fall sure as hell would have. And with all the sand and rubble and collapsing structures, you would have been quickly buried."

"Are you sure that is what happened?"

Nate tried to control his temper. He knew what Talbot was trying to do. He wasn't going to let him succeed either.

"You and Sullivan did fall into the water before the collapse. Are you sure you weren't hallucinating all of that?" Talbot inquired, eyes locked with Nathan's.

"As sure as I know that Marlowe died," Nate replied.

He saw Talbot's eyes flash, but he remained impassive. "Well now, it isn't very important how I am still alive. The point of the matter now, is that we are both here, Mr. Drake."

"Kelley was a cover up," Nathan stated, glancing over to Charlie to make sure he was okay.

"Yes, and I am very surprised to see that it was Cutter who realized it first of all."

"You should be burning in hell right now," Cutter growled, still bent over like he was going to vomit, but looking as though he was recovering.

"What do you want from us? Revenge?" Nathan snapped.

"Revenge is overrated, Drake. I merely want to request your assistance."

"Bullshit. Where's Sully and Chloe?"

"They are safe…for now."

"You son of a bitch."

He went to lunge for Talbot, but one of his men struck Nate down in the back, making the treasure hunter fall to the floor near Talbot's feet. He heard Charlie call his name, but someone quickly reprimanded him as well. As Nate was trying to recover from the sharp pain on his ribs caused by what felt like the butt of a gun, Talbot's foot raised up and kicked his head right back down to the floor.

"Real enough for you? I suggest you reframe from your outbursts, Drake. I don't have to keep any of you alive."

Nathan crawled to his feet, glaring Talbot down. "Alright, fine. Cut to the chase then. I imagine there's a new leader in place of Marlowe you want us to talk to? Let's meet them then, so we can get this nightmare rolling."

Talbot smirked at him, but remained silent.

Cutter perked up. "Uhh, mate?"

"Yeah, I know, shut up," Nate grumbled.

Obviously, Talbot was the new leader of the secret society. He had been Marlowe's lieutenant. This only made Nate feel even more sick. He would have rather had Marlowe back alive, then Talbot.

"I have a proposition for you, Drake. Interested?" Talbot inquired.

"Is that a trick question?" Nathan asked, tone full of sarcasm.

Talbot chuckled darkly. "It depends on how much you care for your friends, Mr. Drake."

Nate's face fell. "I'm not doing a damn thing for you, so you can just shove it, Talbot. As soon as I get the chance, I'm going to kill you and make sure you stay dead."

Talbot looked to his wristwatch, then dipped his head at his nearby men. Nate and Cutter were grabbed to prevent movement.

"It looks as though I am going to have to apply some pressure. No surprise there. Fortunately, for you, I haven't had time to go pick up Mrs. Drake. But that can be changed for the better."

"No, don't!" Nathan barked.

"It does no good to try and stop me. I need her to complete this little board game anyways." Talbot then looked to his men. "Take them to their cells. I'll return shortly."

"Talbot!" Nate yelled as he watched his sworn enemy turn to leave the study. "I'm going to kill you! Don't you dare touch her!"

Talbot turned to look back at Nathan, a smirk on his handsome face. "You're in no position to negotiate or threaten, Drake. Besides, you can't kill a man twice."

Chuckling softly, the new leader of the secret society turned and left the study room. Nate and Cutter were shoved along back the way they came heading for their cells. Nathan was angry and worried, and he fought against the guards and not caring about the blows he received from them. Cutter fought too, though not as desperately. Nathan had to escape and reach Charlie's apartment before Talbot did.

As they started to descend into the dungeon, Nate knew they had their chance. Nate kicked back, striking the guard behind him in the gut. This enabled him to turn around and assault him. Cutter was close behind, and soon they knocked out the two suited men and took their firearms.

"We have to find Chloe and Sully and get to your apartment before Talbot does!" Nate yelled.

"No time for it, mate! Go ahead for the apartment! I'll look for Bright Eyes and Sully."

"I can't just leave you guys."

"Oh bollocks, you can't! Get your bloody ass over to my place now! Go save Elena, I'll be fine!"

It was a hard decision, but Nate knew Charlie was right. The two men went back to the floor level. More men assaulted them. Nate was quick to take his attackers out, before he was forced to split up with Charlie.

"Go, mate, go! Once you get her, go to Darly's Pub! It's the best place to lay low!"

"Got it! Meet you guys there! Be careful!"

Nate headed off, hoping that Charlie and the others would be okay. He broke through the front door, discarding the gun before going outside and racing across the lawn of the large museum onto the streets of London. He had to look around a minute to get his bearings, but soon realized he was several blocks south of Cutter's apartment. He cursed out loud, hoping he could catch a cab real quick. He saw men in black coming after him.

"Oh crap!"

Nathan took off running, knowing that he would have to lose them before he could catch a cab. He had to get to Cutter's apartment as quickly as possible, before Talbot did. He thought positive as he darted across streets and through alleyways, streaming by cars and people. They would all make it out and meet at Darly's Pub. From there, they could come up with a plan. A plan that he couldn't think of right now, because Nate wasn't the best at thinking that far ahead.

* * *

><p>Elena kept herself busy throughout the apartment, worry stressing her out and turning her into a cleaning maniac. It had been well over twenty-four hours since she had heard from them. She had tried all their cell phones, but no answer. Elena knew something was wrong. She was sure of the bad feelings she got from this deal before they had even accepted it. Elena just hoped for once she was wrong. If she didn't hear from any of them in a few more hours, she knew she would have to start making calls and heading out herself.<p>

She tried to tell herself that they were fine, that they had discovered something in their locations and were going about their business. After all, Nate, Sully, Chloe, and Cutter were four of the worst people about answering their phones anyways. She would have her best chances with Sully and Chloe answering over her husband and Charlie.

Her thoughts were still storming as she scrubbed away at some dishes in the sink, chewing on the inside of her cheek. The hot, soapy water soaked her hands as she cleaned and washed. Not even a moment later, she heard the front door open, and heard footsteps entering into Charlie's apartment.

Elena nearly collapsed from relief, but now she felt agitated. She didn't even turn to greet the four of them as she scrubbed the grime from a dirty plate.

"Nate, I don't appreciate any of you not answering your phones. You know how worried I was? You promised me a call back within twenty-four hours; I thought I was going to have to go after you guys."

She soon realized something was terribly wrong. By now, she would have heard Nate's laid back response or laughter, or Sully's complaint of needing a beer, or Chloe's sarcastic remark to her worry.

Elena slowly turned around from the sink, her eyes landing on the five men that stood in the kitchen with her. She recognized them immediately as Marlowe's men. Four were just normal agents with guns ready. The leader was a man she recognized quite well and was in shock to see him alive.

"You?" she grunted.

The man before her was Talbot. She recognized him from Yemen. He had been Marlowe's lieutenant. After Nathan had been drugged and ran off, Sully and Elena had searched for him until Talbot cornered them with his men. He had looked like he had recently been in a fight, and Elena remembered Sully giving a smart remark to the second-in-command about his face looking like shit and knowing that it had been caused by Nate. His bitter sarcasm only was challenged by Marlowe, who had showed up at that moment, telling them how Nate had been removed from the equation, thanks to Talbot. Sully had been angered by this, even as far as threatening Marlowe against the British woman's offer for him to help them find the lost city of Ubar. An offer he had no choice in, of course.

When Sully had refused, Marlowe threatened to have Talbot kill Elena, and it was then that Sully quickly changed his mind and agreed to go with them. Sully had told her to get out and don't do anything stupid as he was escorted away. It was unbearable for Elena to have to watch him go without having the power to do anything. She even remembered Marlowe's final words to her before she and Talbot left her be, alive and well.

"_Dear girl, don't make me have to kill such a beautiful and intelligent flower such as yourself. You are of no importance to us. It would be a shame and a waste. Just turn and walk away. Nathan and Victor brought this on themselves, do not get involved."_

Elena had been shocked that they left her alive, but at the same time had just about collapsed in remorse as she thought Nate was dead and Sully was next. But Nate had told her everything that had happened in Iram. Talbot should have been dead. So how was it possible that he was standing right in front of her?

"I'm pleased to see you recognize me, Mrs. Drake."

"You're supposed to be dead."

"I've been getting that quite a lot today." He took slow, careful steps towards her, as if she was a deer waiting to bolt for it. "I imagine your dear husband told you the story of how I died. Funny how his stories always get blown out of proportion."

Elena knew at this point it didn't matter how he was alive and standing here. She just hoped and prayed that he didn't have anything to do with everyone's disappearance. "What do you want?"

"You know, you had good reason to be unsure of this deal that your husband was making."

"What?"

"I'm Kelley. It was all a setup."

Elena felt sick, but remained rigid, her eyebrows furrowing into a glare. One of her arms was still in the warm, soap water of the sink. The only thing she could fine to clutch was that dirty plate.

"I'm going to need you to come with me, Mrs. Drake."

As Talbot stepped into range, Elena let him have it. She swung the plate out of the sink behind her, water splashing off, but the plate itself crashing into the side of his face and breaking. It definitely stunned him, and Elena took off, hearing two bullets go off and felt them whiz by her as she ran for the door.

"Don't shoot her! I want her unharmed!" Talbot yelled.

Elena broke through the front door of the apartment, slamming it shut behind her and running down the hallway. She turned the corner, taking the stairs down. As she was running down, an agent was coming up. She thought fast, jumping up to grab the wooden beam above to kick her legs out and strike him. It was enough to knock the man down. Elena fled past, evading two more agents barely before making it out onto the streets. She took off running with no particular destination planned as her brain frantically tried to think.

She rounded the corner of the apartment complex, colliding into someone and almost falling down.

"Elena!"

"Nate!"

He grabbed her wrist, yanking her into a run back the way he had been coming and where she was heading. "No time to explain!"

The couple jogged, getting puzzled looks by pedestrians as they looked around for Talbot's men. They distanced themselves from the apartment, then slowed to a fast walk, until finally they stopped all together. There were many people around, being just outside a shopping area.

"I take it you had a meet and greet with Talbot?" Nate asked, catching his breath. "I escaped from his museum where he was keeping us several blocks away."

"Yeah. Broke one of Cutter's plates on his face before I got out. Did you run all the way to the apartment?"

"Remind me to never piss you off," Nate chuckled, despite the situation. "Uh yeah. Figured I could make more ground on foot. Couldn't waste any time. I didn't know what Talbot was going to do to you."

"Well he definitely didn't want me harmed, that's for sure. I imagine he wanted to haul me back to where you were. Where are Sully, Chloe, and Charlie?"

Nathan took a moment to look around, finally starting to breathe normal. "I broke out with Charlie. He stayed to find Sully and Chloe while I came for you. We need to head to Darly's Pub. We're supposed to meet there."

"Are you sure they got out of there okay?" Elena asked, looking around nervously and rubbing her palms.

"You know, let's just hope for glass half full, alright? Let's go."

Husband and wife grabbed hands and headed off again, keeping an eye out for men in black suits and staying quiet from doing so. The pub was just a few blocks away. They would hide out there and wait for Charlie, Sully, and Chloe to meet with them there to sort out their plans. Nate just hoped they had as much luck as he did getting out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So? Are you surprised lol? :P How can Talbot be alive you ask? Well, that is just something you are going to have keep reading to find out! I know, it's evil of me to say that, but I can't ruin anything for you guys lol. For those of you who knew Edward Kelley's birth surname was Talbot, you probably had an idea this would happen...maybe lol. This also reveals who it was plaguing Nathan in the prologue. In U3, Talbot was called the Magician, and for good reason. Oh as Nate sarcastically says "Magic Man" in his fight with Talbot in Yemen lol. Anyways, hope everyone enjoyed this crazy chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing cool cats! :D**


	5. Chapter 4: Revenge and Justice

**Chapter 4: Revenge and Justice**

The waiting was nerve racking. Nate didn't know whether Charlie, Sully, and Chloe were still alive or not. It felt like forever that he and Elena sat in the pub at a table anxiously waiting while other customers went on about their business with no worries. The acoustics in the pub didn't help with their stress. Laughter and talking bounced off the walls throughout the building as people drank, ate, and mingled. There was even a flat screen television that was playing rugby behind the bar that a group of friends were cheering to.

Elena played with her wedding ring with fidgety nerves, a habit she had picked up when she was nervous. Nate could only gather that she would do it to try and gather security from the ring.

Nathan felt as though he had constantly watched the clock on the wall over the bar for nearly two hours before he couldn't take it anymore. He moved to get up out of his chair. Elena looked up at him with wide eyes, worry etched on her beautiful face.

"Nate?"

"They should have been here by now. Something's wrong. Stay here. I'm gonna go look for them," Nate stated, looking to the front door of the pub.

"Oh no. I'm coming with you."

He winced. She was using that tone that he knew so well that meant there was no arguing with her. They would bicker about it as they went to search for the others. She gave him a look as she got to her feet as well.

Before they could start for the exit, the front entrance opened, and they saw a familiar face enter into the popular pub. Nathan about collapsed in relief upon seeing Chloe heading towards them in what looked like a hurry, but his relief soon died away when he realized that Sully nor Charlie accompanied her. On top of that, she looked as though she was in a hurry.

"Chloe, where are-"

"No time to talk. We need to get out of here. I hope this place has a back exit," Chloe quipped, glancing over her shoulder.

Nate registered got her point. "Let's go."

The three quickly but subtly headed for the back of the pub, passing the bathrooms and poker rooms. They saw the exit sign above the last door at the end of the hallway, and unlocked it to get outside. Chloe took the lead, and Nathan and Elena followed on behind while also keeping watch. As they rounded the corner of the building, heading back out towards the streets, they saw agents getting out of black vehicles. The three quickly slipped behind the building again, this time earning a curse from Nate.

"What happened to Sully and Charlie?" he hissed, as Chloe started leading them down the alleyway with a quicker pace.

"They are still held up at the museum. I was able to escape and they told me to just go on and find you two. Our gentlemen in black here were able to follow me."

"Shit."

"Uhh, guys?" Elena mumbled.

Another black car pulled up at the end of the alleyway. Men in black suits were getting out. They stopped short, but couldn't turn back because the agents were already snooping around the back of the pub.

"This way," Nathan quickly whispered, taking point, and darting down the skinny alleyway between two close quarter buildings. "Any ideas where we can go that is safe? Talbot will probably keep an eye on Charlie's apartment so there's no use going back there."

Chloe had to think for a moment as they made haste down the narrow alleyway, she and Elena looking over their shoulders to check to see if the agents had caught onto them yet.

"Uhh, how about Lucy's garage? Only place coming to mind right now, Nate."

"Who's Lucy?" Elena questioned.

"Charlie's sister," Nate and Chloe answered in unison as they rounded another corner.

It looked like a clear shot from there, so Chloe took lead and they headed for Lucy's garage to hide and make a plan. As they kept low key for the next few blocks heading for the automotive shop, it looked as though the three of them had lost their pursuers.

* * *

><p>The grungy, dim-lit garage had to be the perfect place for them to lay low for a bit and come up with a plan. The shop had a back room where they could sit down and talk things over. First, however, Chloe and Nathan had to have a talk with Lucy.<p>

Lucy was a small, petite girl, obviously younger than Charlie and had raven black hair that was pulled into a loose ponytail with a few free bangs around her pretty face. She was chewing on gum as Chloe made up a story to not worry her about her brother, but so they could use the back room to discuss their private matters. Lucy looked to be border-line punk in her style. She had a lot of tattoos, wore a lot of black, and had her nose and eyebrow pierced. But on top of that, she was the owner of the garage, and so had a lot of grime and grease on her hands as she played with a large wrench in her hands.

At first, Lucy seemed suspicious of their story, but soon nodded, and agreed to let them use the room in the back for them to discuss matters, even though she was about to leave.

"You can help yourself to any contents in the fridge," she said, studying them closely. "Charlie thinks highly of you guys. Can you just lock up before you leave?"

"Thanks, Lucy. We sure will," Chloe replied, smiling.

"Great. Tell that oaf of a brother of mine to not be such a stranger."

Lucy finished putting up her tools and washing up before she left the garage, going ahead and locking the garage doors but leaving the front door entrance for them to lock behind them when they were through. When she was gone, the three of them headed into the back break room to sit down at the table and devise a plan.

"Okay. So tell me what happened with you guys," Nathan started.

"I came to before Sully did. We were down in some jailhouse below the museum. We just waited and talked about what had happened to each of us before we heard gunfire and yelling. Next thing we knew, Charlie was there unlocking our cells and ranting about how Talbot was still alive and wanted us dead. I personally thought he had gone off the deep end as we were getting out of there. I know Sully had popped off to him that he was crazy. He told us how you had went to get Elena at the apartment and we were supposed to meet at the pub. Just as we were getting close to escaping from the building, we got surrounded, and lo and behold we saw Talbot blocking the exit. I didn't really pay much attention to what he was saying, I was in too much shock, but then I managed to grab the nearby switch for the chandelier above and drop it. It fell on three agents, but Talbot had managed to dodge it. We continued to fight our way out, but they got subdued. Before I could help, they told me to keep going, so here I am."

"Great," Nate sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"How did he survive Iram? I thought you said he died, Nate?" Elena asked.

"Look, I told you guys how it happened. I don't know how it's possible he's alive either."

"There's something that bothers me about Talbot," Chloe admitted. "This isn't the first time he was supposed to be dead."

Nate had to think for a moment to get was she was saying. "Wait, what? What do you mean?"

"Remember back in Syria when we were in a stalemate with Talbot and his men? Charlie tricked him into thinking he was still under the drug and then shot him so we could get away? That shot should have killed him."

Nate rolled his eyes. "Easily enough debunked. He was wearing a vest. Had to have been. We might have called him the Magician for all his tricks, but I guarantee you all of them could easily be explained. Like this one."

"How about how he disappeared around that corner when he stole Charlie's notebook and gun?" Chloe challenged, eyes narrowing.

Nate blinked, then faltered. "I'll uhh have to get back to you on that one."

Chloe sighed, shaking her head. "Anyways, I heard and saw that bullet hit him. He didn't have a vest on. I heard it hit flesh; I saw the blood come from it. Charlie did too. He's the one who shot him."

"Well, he sure as hell didn't use any magic tricks in our fight in Iram. He fought dirty though."

"Are you sure of what happened there?" Elena asked, studying her husband.

"I'm sure I'm sure!" Nate snorted. "If Sully was here, he would agree with me. Talbot's just trying to get in my head that I hallucinated all that. I know I didn't drink any of that water just before the city started to collapse, and neither did Sully."

"I guess it doesn't really matter right now how he's still alive. He was the fox with the tricks then, but now he's also the wolf with the power and leading the pack so to speak. Marlowe isn't here, and he's in charge of the secret society. We need to figure out how to get Sully and Charlie back alive before Talbot decides he wants to kill them," Chloe explained.

"Good point," Elena agreed.

"Okay, I got it. You two get out of town, and I'll head in to get Charlie and Sully the hell outta there," Nate said, but quickly got glares from both women.

"Yeah, nice try," Chloe quipped.

"Well, we are going to need firepower. Our weapons are back at Charlie's apartment, but I'm sure Talbot has it snooping with agents. It would be a bad idea to try and sneak back into the museum without any weapons."

"Did Talbot say what he wanted with us?" Elena asked.

"Does it matter?" Nate snorted. "Obviously, it's revenge."

"Is that what he said?" Chloe inquired.

"Well, not really. He said something about wanting my help. He wants my help for revenge I'm sure."

"Or he wants your help with something bigger and he's going to use Sully and Charlie as leverage to make you not have a choice in the matter," Elena stated seriously.

"Not just Charlie and Sully. Us as well," Chloe said to her.

"I'm sure he doesn't want help fixing his car or computer," Nate said sarcastically. "We need to get Sully and Charlie out of there and get out of London so we can figure out how to stop him."

Elena scooted her chair back and got up, rubbing her temple from a forming headache. "I need to go the restroom real quick."

She turned and left the break room to head out into the main area of the garage where the small hallway that led to the restrooms were. Nate and Chloe watched her go, before turning back to each other. Chloe had got to her feet, but only so she could lean on the counter by the fridge.

"So what? Do I need to call up some friends for more weapons?" Chloe asked, folding her arms.

"I don't know," Nate sighed, scratching his head with much stress. "I don't want to have to wait that long. Maybe we should head back to the apartment and check it out."

"It might be our only shot. Maybe we can get lucky and they left it alone after you and Elena got out of there."

"That's a very optimistic statement from you."

"Did I sound too optimistic when I said it?"

"No."

"Okay then. But it isn't as though we have many options. Not like we can go to the police and tell them that a guy in charge of a 400 year old secret society is keeping our friends captive in his museum."

"You never skip an opportunity to flush out all the negatives of our situations, huh?" Nate mused.

Chloe gave him a look, and then headed for the exit of the break room. "I'm gonna go check on Sunshine. I need to go to the bathroom anyway. Maybe splash some water on my face."

He heard her sigh as she left. Nate slid his chair back and got to his feet, walking over to the sink in the back. He got out a glass and filled it with tap water. He gulped it down and filled it again. As he was drinking the second glass, he heard someone come back into the break room, but soon he sensed it as a presence that was not good. The hair on the back of his neck rose as he felt tension starting to fill the room.

Nate spun around, choking on his gulp of water as he saw Talbot in the doorway aiming a gun at him. Glaring across at the new leader, Nate slowly sat the glass down on the counter.

"You are the only one left that needs to be apprehended, Nathan," Talbot stated.

"Why are you doing this, Talbot? The others have no use for you. I'm the one you want, let them go."

Talbot smirked. "It's all about getting a point across. I need them so I can be sure to get what I need out of you."

"Forget it," Nathan growled.

After those words, both Chloe and Elena were dragged in being held captive by agents. Talbot motioned for the agent holding Elena to come over to him. Elena struggled, but it was useless. Talbot put the gun to her head, sharp eyes never leaving Nate.

"You don't have a choice in the matter if you want to save them. Otherwise, you all die."

Nate never before had felt the urge to kill a man so strongly than seeing Talbot point that gun at Elena. But he knew he was at a loss here. He was going to have to listen to Talbot or pay the consequences.

"Nate, I think we need to listen to him," Chloe stated, trying to remain calm in her restraint.

"Alright, alright, damn it, just stop pointing that gun at my wife," Nate snapped. "What the hell do you want Talbot?"

Talbot removed the gun from Elena's forehead and re-aimed it back on Nathan. "As I said before in my study, I request your assistance."

"It's not much of a request if I don't have a choice in the matter."

Talbot chuckled. "Touché. You do this for me, then I will let your friends and family live. If you refuse, you all die."

"What, I die no matter what?" Nate growled.

"The justice I seek requires you to die," Talbot stated simply.

"Justice?" Nate sneered. "What justice?"

Talbot looked as though he was done discussing the matter for now. He nodded to the two agents, who led the women away, and then turned back to Nate. "You look exhausted, Nathan. We can discuss this after your nap."

"Nap? What are-"

Talbot fired the gun, but no loud bang came from the barrel, only a hissing sound. Nate felt something prick his neck, and he instantly knew that Talbot had drugged him. He tried to cuss Talbot out, but he was soon getting wobbly legs, and he suddenly felt tired and sleepy. He collapsed onto the floor and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Nathan groaned, head limp on his shoulder. He was coming to slowly, groggily lifting his head and opening his eyes. His vision was blurry, but sounds were coming to him in much clearer portions. The very distinct rumbling of a plane's engines could be heard. Blinking his vision into clarity, he realized he was on a cargo plane.<p>

The cargo plane was full of supplies and crates, as well as agents. There were a few black vehicles, some regular luxury cars, others massive SUVs. Nate looked down at himself, realizing the reason he couldn't move was because he was tied down to a chair. It didn't stop him from trying to break free, but he soon found it useless. He was looking around. He didn't see Elena, Chloe, Sully, or Charlie anywhere. He was starting to get worried.

"Don't worry. They are safe."

The voice made him jump, jerking his head back to in front of him to see Talbot, who had not been there a moment before. Nate grinded his teeth, swallowing back nasty words.

"Geez Talbot…I thought leading an all powerful and rich secret society would mean first class travel."

Talbot chuckled. "Any other smart comments, or should we get down to business?"

"Where are my friends?"

"I told you. They are safe. I keep my word, Mr. Drake."

Nathan knew he wasn't going to get anything out of Talbot about the others. "Fine. What do you need my help with?"

"I'm searching for something. I need your help to find it. If anyone can do it, I am sure it would be you, Mr. Drake."

Nate glared at Talbot. "Wow, I'm flattered."

Talbot studied him a moment, his demeanor cool and unrelenting. "I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before the thrill of adventure awakens in you. Marlowe was right about you. It's always been about the adrenaline and adventure. You don't care about anything else in the end. And I am going to prove that to your dear friends."

"You son of a bitch. You can't prove anything to them. They know I'm not like that."

"But do you?" Talbot inquired.

"Hell yeah I do."

"Then why has it been so hard to settle down?"

The venom behind those words disturbed Nathan as he locked eyes with Talbot. For some reason, he couldn't answer his enemy. He looked away from Talbot, angry but also ashamed that he couldn't defend himself.

"You don't know me. You don't know any of us."

"You said the same thing to Marlowe, but she exposed you for what you truly are. Can you deny that?"

Nate regained control and glared at Talbot again. "Her tricks didn't work on me, and neither will yours, Talbot."

"Tell me, does your wife know the truth? Or how about Sully, the man who has taken it upon himself to be your father?"

"Look, are you going to tell me what you want? This has nothing to do with it," Nathan growled.

Talbot twitched a smile, slightly cocking his head as he folded his arms. "On the contrary, this has everything to do with it. I hope you will come forth in the end and tell them the truth, Mr. Drake. They deserve to know the truth. They have followed you to the end of the world and back, such loyalty and love should be returned."

Nathan didn't say anything. He just stared at the floor, trying to ignore Talbot's words, but taking them in silently. Talbot waited a moment for Nate's reaction, but gone none, so he turned to leave.

"We'll discuss more once we land," he said.

"What was she to you?"

Nathan's words stopped Talbot in his tracks. Nate watched as Talbot slowly turned to face the man bound in the chair once more. There was something more to Talbot's glare, but Nate couldn't read him very well.

"Excuse me?"

"Marlowe…what was she to you? She seemed too important to you to be just your client."

Talbot was silent for a moment, a flash of unreadable emotions in his eyes before that cold, collected demeanor took over him once more.

"You and I are more alike than you will ever realize…Nathan."

With that, he turned and headed for the front of the plane, leaving Nathan confused while strapped to the chair alone.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's! Wow...2012...can't get my mind around it! Just seems like the other day it was 2011...oh wait it was lol. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the new chapter! We are starting to get into the nitty gritty now, mwhahhaha! :D what does Talbot have planned for Nate and the others? Find out next chapter! :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	6. Chapter 5: Purpose

**Chapter 5: Purpose**

_20 Years Earlier…_

The black heels clicked briskly on the hardwood floor as agents accompanied her within the mansion to their leader's personal quarters. Katherine Marlowe had snipped a few orders here and there, and since she was highly respected and their leader's prodigy and next in line for the title, they quickly did as they were told. Katherine felt pain in her heart, but hid her emotions on the outside. She barely had time to change into clean clothes from her trip back to London from Cartagena.

She completely failed Roland. All because of Victor Sullivan and that street rat of a kid that he decided to feel pity for. It had taken the society decades in order to locate the ring and decipher. Now all she had in her hand was the John Dee's decipher, with the kid making out with Sir Francis Drake's ring. And though she still had agents scrounging about in Cartagena looking for the man and boy, she doubt she would be able to locate them at this point.

She stopped outside Roland's door. She shooed the agents who had accompanied her but there were two stationed outside his door on duty. Katherine looked herself over, wearing clean formal clothes, a dark violet blouse and black pants. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and preparing herself and opened the door to enter the room.

She found their great leader and her mentor and father figure at his desk writing. She had been away for a few weeks, and now it looked as though his illness had only grew worse. The older man looked up from his work, pale and thin, coughing as he smiled upon seeing his adoptive daughter and protégé.

He was slow to stand, and Katherine knew he was weakening in his battle of the ailment. It broke her heart. It was getting harder and harder to remember the once proud, dignified, blue-blood that ran this great society.

"My dear, how did it go? Did you locate it?"

Katherine lowered her eyes, faltering, but soon stood up straight and proud. "There was a hindrance, but I assure you Roland, I will get it for you."

Roland frowned, scratching at his graying hair and blue eyes falling to his desk. "I see."

Katherine felt she needed to explain further. "The man I hired to steal the items ended up betraying me for a boy that wanted to believe he was the descendent of Sir Francis Drake. He felt pity for the street cur."

She walked forward, placing the golden decipher on the desk. His eyes widened upon recognizing Dee's design. He picked it up, looking to Marlowe as he did so.

"This is all I have. The boy has the ring. I have men searching for them, but it will take time. The boy was very clever and sly. I'm sorry I failed you Roland."

Roland chuckled, which ended up turning into a deep cough. "You did well, Katherine. You've always strove to prove yourself to me, when you should know better that you could never fail me. We are getting closer to our goal, and we will get there in time."

This man had been her only family for most of her life. He had taken her in as a young girl. Even though she had become an orphan, she had come from a high aristocratic family and felt she could be a great aspect to the society. He had been right, and now she was next in line for leadership. But Katherine's devotion to Roland was far more important to her than leadership. She wanted the same thing as the society wanted, what Roland had strived for all his life. Katherine had seen all as his protégé. She had been heartbroken, betrayed, almost killed; the list went on and on. All for the society. All for Roland. She had done her own share of terrible things to other people. She had become a strong person from all of this, able to hide her emotions, and had become experienced and intelligent. But she could not fathom a life without Roland. And that life was getting closer and closer.

"In all my years I never thought I would be holding this," Roland whispered, closing his eyes.

Katherine studied him, feeling tears want to release, but she stubbornly stomped the emotion away. He would never be able to see the ring. He wouldn't live long enough to. He would never see Iram, or be able to retrieve the powerful item they sought there.

Roland sighed deeply, walking around his desk slowly with his cane guiding him. He looked the young woman in the eyes. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"You will guide this society to true power."

Katherine shook her head. "Not without you."

Roland chuckled. "I know my fate. I have accepted it. And so should you, my dear. You will take over leadership after I die. Will you be able to handle it? Will you make me proud, Kate?"

Katherine grinded her teeth, struggling with emotions wanting to surface. "I will. But…this is why I wanted to locate the Eye of the Phoenix first. It would save you, Roland."

"The Eye of the Phoenix is just a myth. It's just a fancier story to the Philosopher's Stone. It's taken us centuries to locate the ring and the decipher. How long do you think it will take to find the Eye?"

She looked away.

Roland sighed again. "My dear, you must accept my fate. You will be the new leader. You know what that means, right?"

"I will need a protégé," she stated nonchalantly, dipping her head. She had no children. She would have to take in a young ward just as Roland did with her and beyond. It had become tradition in the society at some point in history.

"That's right. Please do this for me, Kate. I want closure."

What the hell did she know about raising a kid? But it wasn't just any child she needed. She would need to know one that would be worthy of serving the society and one day becoming leader, like Roland knew with her. She didn't have his insight when it came to a matter such as this.

"Can you not help me pick one out?" Katherine asked, a little annoyed.

Roland chuckled. "We aren't picking out a dog, Kate; we are choosing our future leader."

"How will I know which child is the best?"

Roland looked down at the decipher, rubbing it with his thumb before sitting the device into Katherine's hand. "You will know. I did with you."

* * *

><p>The next few weeks had proven stressful and difficult for Katherine. She was bound and determined to bring to Roland the best and brightest, and most well-bred ward worthy enough to become a part of the society. In those same days, it had been proven that Victor Sullivan had taken over guardianship of the street boy and they had lost the society hunting them down and seemingly disappeared for now.<p>

Roland was doing worse. He was now stricken to the bed, with nurses and doctors coming in and going out doing all they could. Katherine was running out of time. Her associates tried to tell her she was being too picky, that her standards were too high. Of course she would tell them that for Roland, the next protégé had to be perfect.

Finally, a call sent her on a drive to the city of Birmingham to an institution for orphans who had come from well-bred, aristocratic families. She met with a woman named Mary Stroop, the director of the large, refined institution. The other woman asked Katherine many questions before giving her a tour of the building.

"Now do you want to meet a few or just-"

Katherine quickly cut the director off. "Just take me to your most prodigious child."

"Of course. This way. Now I must warn you. He's been here for a little over ten years. We've got a few here who think they are better off not being adopted and he is one of them. But I assure you, for what you are looking for, he is the best."

The director handed over the boy's file. Marlowe flipped through it as they strolled through the hallways. There were employees and children of all ages passing by. There were kids peeking out of their dorms. There were kids playing outside when they walked past a few windows.

"What happened to his parents?"

"They were one of the most powerful families in this region. Details are sketchy but apparently Lord Talbot had many enemies."

"Assassination. And the boy is the only one who survived?" Marlowe asked, still looking through the file.

"That's where it gets a little weird," Mary stated, stopping outside a door to one of the dormitories and turning to Katherine.

"How so?"

"When the authorities arrived, the assassins were already dead. He was only five then, but no one knows how they were killed. They were able to determine that they died after killing his parents. The likelihood that a five year old boy was able to kill three assassins is absurd, so the case is still open. Police think they had a guardian there that protected him and fled once the job was done."

"Has this affected him psychologically?"

Mary shook her head. "No. He's fine. He's just…"

"Just what?"

"Well, you'll see."

She opened the door and the two women entered inside. The room was nicely kept and looked as though it held three boys, but there was only one boy in the room at the moment. On the bed in the farthest corner next to the window sat a boy looking to be fifteen or sixteen. He was fixated on some cards that were laid out on the bed. Katherine took in the boy's appearance closely. His dark hair was well kept and he wore a uniform similar to the other kids of the institution. When he looked up to see who it was to enter the room, she was surprised to see such intelligence there. But there was also something she couldn't quite place, as his eyes darkened.

"Alexander, you have a visitor."

"Not interested," he stated coldly, and went back to his cards.

Mary turned to Katherine, taking back the folder from her in the process. "He may be the best in all aspects that you are looking for, but he is difficult to handle." The director then turned back to Alexander Talbot. "Need I remind you of the consequences for going against regulations? Now be a gentleman and come speak to Miss Marlowe."

Talbot looked up at them, his eyes studying Katherine for a long moment. There was a darkness to his eyes, a mysterious deepness within them that told Marlowe there was more to this young man than what he led on. He wasn't going to listen to Mary Stroop, but Katherine twitched a smile at this.

"Leave us."

"I'm sorry, it's against regulations to-"

"No disrespect Mrs. Stroop, but it looks as though this boy needs a different approach."

The director thought for a moment, and then slowly dipped her head. She left the room and shut the door behind her. Katherine turned back to the boy, who glared at her and went back to his cards. As Katherine walked over to the bed, she realized they were tarot cards. Some people would have disapproved of this. However, this only piqued her interest. She also noticed all the books and notebooks around his area of the room.

"Look lady, I'm not interested."

Katherine looked down at him. "No respect for your elders, hmm?"

"It's not that. I only have a few more years then I can leave on my own. I don't need anybody."

Katherine studied the lay out of his cards and found that it told a very different story. "That isn't what your cards say."

He looked up at her quickly, surprised that she would know how to read the cards. Growling, he started gathering them up together to put in a stack.

"By how you act, these aren't for fun. What are you trying to seek from them, Alexander?"

"Talbot."

"Excuse me?"

"I go by Talbot." He started shuffling the cards again, not looking at her. "What do you want from me?"

"Why don't you ask the cards?"

Talbot looked at her for a moment, as if trying to read her, then dealt the cards. Katherine watched, a small smile forming on her face. He was doing a simple five card spread. She watched the cards as they were laid out. The first card was the Fool representing present position, then there was the Empress representing present desires, next came the Chariot representing the unexpected, then was drawn the Star representing the immediate future, and last but not least the World was drawn as the outcome.

Talbot studied them hard, eyebrows scrunching as he interpreted them. She noticed how he lightly ran his fingers down the face of the Empress card. Suddenly, he grabbed the cards up, as if he didn't want to look upon them anymore.

"Alright, I'm listening," Talbot stated, getting off of the bed to stand.

Katherine twitched a smile. There was intelligence in his eyes that was beyond a normal teenager. She could tell he had a distinct insight, as well as a natural ability at manipulation and control. She found herself interested to see what else he was capable of. He just needed the right guidance and training. He didn't respect anyone here, and there was good reason for it. They didn't understand him.

Katherine now understood what Roland meant when he said she would know when she had found the right one. But it was on a far deeper level than she had previous thought. There were many secrets to this boy, but she could read his eyes like the very cards he had laid out.

"You seek a particular thing above all else. I can give it to you," Katherine stated seriously.

Talbot scoffed at her. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

"It isn't material items you want, or money, or fame. On a level you desire power, justice, and control. But there is something above all else."

Talbot frowned, apparently surprised that she was reading him well for others couldn't.

"Purpose, yes? You seek purpose. I can give it to you and everything else you desire."

"What's in it for you?" Talbot asked. Though his tone had softened from previous bitterness, he was still guarded, still cynical.

"I'm looking for a protégé. That is why I am looking for the best of the best. I found you. All I need in return is your loyalty above anything else. You see, Talbot, I am about to take over the leadership of a secret society that has been around for centuries. We control our enemies through fear, manipulation, and power. It's a one way road my young man. You must be sure it is what you want. Once you are in the society, the only way out is death."

Talbot thought in silence for a moment, looking from his bed to her. He was the one, Katherine knew it. Without a shadow of a doubt, Talbot was her protégé. She was going to make Roland proud. Talbot had every aspect they desired. Not only was he keen on the mind, but he was athletic and well built for his age as well. He could be trained easily. He could be trained easily to kill. He just needed the proper training.

"I can't deny my instincts to the interpretations of the cards. And there's something about you that I am drawn to. It's like I have been waiting my whole life for this moment. I accept your offer," Talbot finally answered, dipping his head.

"You won't regret it, my boy," Katherine stated. She finally earned a genuine smile from the young man before her.

* * *

><p>Roland's personal quarters were starting to look like a hospital room. Marlowe had to make sure that her mentor was comfortable before sending the doctors away. Talbot followed along behind her, checking the mansion out with curious eyes. Marlowe had him change into a suit similar to what the agents wore. Now officially adopted by Katherine, he would need time to settle into the new life and work in the society. He had a lot of hard training and schooling before him for the next several years. She told the boy it would be rough, but it would be needed of him. Talbot seemed determined to prove himself to Marlowe, and that meant his undying loyalty would be there as promised.<p>

Roland's face lit up as Katherine sat down next to his bed. The monitor was steady with his vitals, but he was very weak. She took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly and smiled.

"I finally found the perfect protégé. I want you to meet him. He's going to help bring great things to the society. I just know it."

She summoned Talbot over to her. The young protégé walked over, studying the dying man in the bed. By the way the leader smiled, they could tell he approved. He whispered into Katherine's ear.

"Talbot, go wait outside the room. I'll be out in a few minutes," she said, looking over to him.

Talbot nodded, noticing the way her voice cracked as she said the words. He turned and left the room without a word. Katherine turned back to Roland, tears finally releasing from her face. She squeezed Roland's hand even harder.

"It's been…years s-since I…seen you cry."

She ignored those words. "Did I choose right?"

"I see great things…in y-your future together," Roland said, struggling in his words. "But there is a darkness to him I don't understand."

"I chose the very best for you, Roland. He swore his loyalty to me just as I did for you."

"Loyalty…trust…is earned, not bought. If you want this from him…you-you must show him that you c-care."

"But he is just my protégé, nothing else."

"I said…the same t-thing about…you."

He was right. Katherine felt so dense for not understanding sooner. After all, she had been the protégé at one time. But it was hard for Katherine to build relationships. If she was going to get the best out of Talbot, she would have to work just as hard. Roland wanted her to care about him just as he had cared for her.

"I'll do my best, Roland."

"One day you will under…stand. I am so proud of you, my dearest Kate. I can now die in peace."

Katherine barely nodded, his words hitting her heart hard. She closed her eyes, keeping a hold of his hand. She didn't know how long she sat there with him, minutes or hours, until she heard the monitor flat lined on his vitals.

As doctors and nurses were rushing inside, Kate got to her feet. She slid the sheet over Roland's face, but not before kissing him on his forehead. The society's leader was now dead. But more importantly, her mentor, father, and savior was dead. She said her farewells and left the room. Talbot was there to greet her, but Katherine felt she had become an empty shell for the moment, numb and tired. Even though she was now officially the new leader of the society, she found no comfort in it. She would need time to mourn first.

She studied Talbot's intense stare on her. Roland had seen great things in him just as she had. And though there was still a darkness or some kind of mystery to this young man that no one understood, Katherine was determined to turn him into the best of the best. She knew he had what it took to do what others could not. He would be the future of the society. She would make sure of it. After all, Talbot desired purpose. And she would grant him just that.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the short chapter. Just wanted to dive a little into Talbot's past. I needed it to be in Marlowe's POV for obvious reasons. As this story goes along, there will be more flashbacks to Talbot's past, but most will be in his POV, with little more coming from Marlowe's. Don't worry, it will soon tie in with the bigger picture. Next chapter will be back with Nathan and the others. Again, sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**


End file.
